TRP: Larkin and Jonn (Worse Than Expected)
'JEN ' Day 279, Skyport Larkin slammed the door and immediately thought of going back. Couldn't fucking do that, of course, because it'd mean giving in to Finch. He'd probably not let her back in anyway. Instead, she turned on her heels and started down the alley. At the end of it she stopped, looking around. Yeah, right, she had no fucking clue where Jonn was now, which bothered her so much that she kicked a pile of debris in the gutter. Fucking hell. They had so much shit to do and all Finch produced was more problems and in-fighting. And then he wouldn't even take her help, not even fucking talk to her... Larkin kicked the pile again. A rat squeaked and scuttled out of it to run for cover into a broken crate. Okay, well then. New plan. Find a baby bird, get the kid to find Jonn and then... well, she'd think of something on the way. Larkin marched down to the harbour where one of Renar's older, smaller warehouses was now stuffed with leaking barges, boats and the nests of their orphan kids. Two of them were playing marbles outside and both actually made and attempt at standing at attention when they spotted her. Larkin pointed at one. "You. You know Jonn?" The girl nodded. "Good. Find him and tell him I want to talk to him." The girl nodded again and didn't move. Larkin frowned at her. "I meant now." The kid's eyes went wide and she gave a last, sharp nod, then ran off. The other kid kept staring at her like he'd just seen a ghost. "What?" Larkin demanded. "Go steal something. Shoo." She flapped her hands and the boy scrambled away. 'IZZY ' Baby birds peeked out at Larkin from the wreckage they'd formed into little hideaways, half in fear and half in wonderment. They were all quiet, too sheepish to say or do anything but watch. About twenty minutes passed, and the girl Larkin had sent to find Jonn came back, twisting her hands together and staring at the street. She didn't quite come up to Larkin, just standing a little ways off and biting her lip anxiously. 'JEN ' Larkin pushed away from they wall she'd been leaning to and walked up to the girl. "You find him or what?" She asked. 'IZZY ' The girl looked up fearfully and shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears. 'JEN ' Larkin frowned down at her, then went to one knee to be at face-level with the kid. "Something happened? Tell me." 'IZZY ' She sniffled. "Couldn't find him." The tears spilled over, and just that quick, Jonn slipped down off the roof of the shoddy warehouse, dropping down next to the girl. "Hey, hey, it's okay," he said hastily, patting her shoulder. "You did really good, Maria. Try to be a little stealthier, though, okay? I saw you coming a mile off and that made it really easy to get away. Practice sneaking up on alley cats." He leaned in to kiss to top of her head, 'cause that was what Hansel would do. A few feet behind him, Asya appeared silently, her hands full of two waffle ice cream cones, and she clicked her tongue and came over to offer one to the girl. Maria looked at Larkin apprehensively, like she wasn't sure if she was allowed. 'JEN ' Larkin looked at Jonn and Asya in surprise, and a little anger that she hadn't noticed them coming close. She should probably go hunt some cats, too. "Yeah, uh. Yeah." Larkin waved the kid off. "Yeah, go do what Jonn said. And next time just say it, god dammit. No need to cry." 'IZZY ' The girl snatched the ice cream and bolted off without another word. Jonn straightened up and watched for a second, then fell back beside Asya, giving Larkin an uncomfortable look. "D'you want me for something?" Asya licked her ice cream and tilted her head, conveying interest. 'JEN ' "Sure do." Larkin looked Asya's way and mimicked her head-tilt. "Redbirds business." 'IZZY ' Asya didn't move. Jonn nudged her with his elbow and flashed a quick sign -- It's fine -- and with a low sort of hm she backed off, wandering into the warehouse where the street kids clambered out of the decommissioned boats to swarm her with excited whispers. Jonn glanced at her, then moved a little further away. Shd had really good hearing. 'JEN ' Larkin took Jonn by the arm and led him down the road, away from the warehouse, and around a corner into a dead end. She didn't like to stand and chat on the open street. "It's about Finch," she opened unceremoniously. "He's fucking himself over and we gotta do something." 'IZZY ' "Oh." He hadn't expected that. "Um. I'm ... I'm trying." He picked at his fingernails, then started chewing them. Probably shouldn't have left Finch alone so long. Jonn knew Finch needed him, he'd just ... He didn't wanna say he'd needed a break. 'JEN ' Larkin ran a hand through her hair, sighing. "Yeah, you bring him food n shit but what he needs is some... " She snapped her fingers. "Ah, man. I don't know. He doesn't want fucking help but he needs it, y'know? With the business parts I mean. And really I don't fucking know how bad it really is, so I need you to report to me." 'IZZY ' "Sounds like snitching," Jonn said doubtfully. 'JEN ' "It sounds," Larkin said leaning in and showing teeth, "like doing what your fucking boss says." 'IZZY ' Jonn flinched. "Finch wouldn't want me to," he said quietly. And Finch was his boss, too. And -- not his friend, but -- something like that. And Finch liked his privacy. He wouldn't like that. It wouldn't be helping him. Jonn couldn't quite just say no, though. 'JEN ' "I don't give a shit," Larkin said, incredulous that Jonn would balk like that. Usually he just did what he was told. "Look. This is for his own good. I need to know what's going on, and you spend more time with him than anyone else." 'IZZY ' He winced. "Yeah, but." He started chewing on his cuticles, looking off to the side. "But he'll get mad at me." 'JEN ' Larkin stared for a moment but Jonn didn't say anything more and it was not a fucking joke. She put both her hands to her face and turned, slowly, to see if anyone else was here who was having a good fucking laugh at her expense because that'd at least explain what the hell was going on. No one was there, though, so she turned back to Jonn and poked a finger into his chest. "You," she said, "are gonna do what I fucking say, or I'll get mad. Finch will have to sick it up or- better yet- just don't let him fucking know! Alright? Problem solved." 'IZZY ' Jonn tensed up, eyeing Larkin, and twitched at the poke. He took an involuntary step away from her. Finch wouldn't hit him. Finch'd growled and grumbled enough about Helena doing it for Jonn to be pretty sure that, for one thing, people shouldn't hit him, and for another, he could trust Finch not to. Even if he got really fucking mad. He'd zapped Jonn by accident -- it was probably by accident, it had to be -- and he'd push him around sometimes just to make him move, but it wasn't like Finch would just ... hurt him, really, on purpose. He wondered if Larkin would. He wondered what'd happen if she did, and he told Finch. Finch, who said, What the fuck? You shouldn't let her treat you like that, when Helena did it, but also -- acted like he was embarrassed or ashamed of Jonn whenever Larkin was around. Talked about him like he wasn't there. Talked about him like he was disgusting. Ignored him completely. Spoke a different language. Probably nothing. Nothing would happen. Or Finch would yell because Jonn was bothering him, and call him a waste of time. And -- and Goro had said that if Finch fucked with Jonn, he'd take care of it, but if it was Larkin, then -- He didn't know what to do. There wasn't anything he could do, so he just -- stared at her for a second, realizing all that, and then crumpled on the spot, wrapping his cloak around himself protectively and hiding his face against his knees. This never used to happen. It was better when someone just -- just told him what to do, and he did it, without having so much conflicting information to weigh and think about. Was better when he'd just done what Hansel said, done what Helena said, done what Finch said. One at a time. "I'm gonna get in trouble," he cried lowly. It was just -- fucking inevitable, and he wanted to stop being in trouble, he wanted to be good, and he didn't know how. It was too hard. "Everyone's gonna be mad at me. He's gonna be mad." 'JEN ' What the fuck. What the fuck. Had everyone gone fucking mad? Larkin stared. This was- not in the slightest how she imagined this would go. Larkin began to suspect something was going on she didn't know about already. "Hey," she said, quieter but not giving up the sharp tone. "What about Finch getting mad, huh? What's gonna happen?" 'IZZY ' "Nothing," he said quickly, automatically. It was stupid to be upset. Finch was still kinder than a lot of people had been to him. He didn't raise his head. "Nothing." 'JEN ' Larkin growled. "Don't you fucking lie to me. Ever." 'IZZY ' "I'm sorry," he blurted, then, "I'm not. It's fine. It's nothing." 'JEN ' "So, if it's nothing, what the fuck is this about?" She waved a hand at him. Didn't expect a straight answer, because where the fuck would that even come from with Jonn. He was all crooked inside and it was starting to show. 'IZZY ' He pulled in on himself miserably, groaning. Grow up, Finch'd snapped. He didn't get what that meant, because he was fucking grown and he had been for a long time, but -- also, this probably wasn't something adults did. He wanted to run for it, same as he'd wanted to with Goro, and that probably wasn't something adults did, either. He sniffled, and swiped at his eyes. Then he made himself stand up. He made his voice even -- flat. And he looked down at the street blankly. "It's nothing," he said quietly. "I'm overreacting. I do that sometimes." That was what the clerics at the Sanctuary had told Hansel. Jonn has a hard time controlling his emotions. He overreacts. He needs a calm and stable environment. "Finch is just ... stressed out. He'll just yell. Throw stuff, maybe. It's not a big deal. He needs me." 'JEN ' "Well- yeah." Larkin squinted. Watched Jonn pull himself together. "Yeah, he's a fucking ass and he needs us. And I need to know what's going on with him to help him, so- for the love of Mask's balls, will you just do what I ask?" 'IZZY ' He hesitated, then shook his head. "No. He wouldn't want me to." 'JEN ' Larkin grit her teeth. She had the urge to shake him, to grab him by the hair and throw him down, show him who the fuck made the desicions here. And it might work. Probably. But where would that leave her? Just another tyrant gang boss ruling through violence rather than loyalty. Could as well paint a fucking target on her back. So instead, Larkin took a deep breath. She put her hands together before her face. Breathed out. It'd be hard on them but she had to do it. "If you won't do as I order you, I can't keep you, Jonn. You get that?" 'IZZY ' He chewed on his lip, thinking. "Not up to you." This was risky. He crossed his arms. "Finch'll keep me." 'JEN ' "Oh, you really think so." Larkin outright snarled at him. "Listen, you little shit. Finch ain't gonna do nothing if I cut you off. Hell, I can just fucking starve him into agreeing. What're you to him anyway, huh? You fucking again? You're in love with him or some shit?" 'IZZY ' Jonn flinched. His shoulders tightened even more. Larkin was just like Finch, except that Finch had ... helped him. Been nice to him. He wasn't anymore, but -- but he had been, and -- maybe he would be again, if Jonn tried hard enough. Larkin never would. He'd always be some fucking mistake to her. "No," he said slowly. "Finch trusts me. He doesn't ... like me, but -- I'm loyal to him. And you're not. I'm not gonna spy on him for you. 'Cause ... if ..." He was working it out aloud. "If you're gonna make me pick sides, I'm picking him. You're probably right." He sniffed. "He'll probably take your side anyway. But I'm still picking him." He took a couple steps back, wincing in anxious anticipation. 'JEN ' Larkin couldn't believe what she was hearing. Not so much the part about Jonn picking sides- fucker had made that pretty clear already. She growled. "Not loyal? Not fucking loyal?" Her hand lashed out but Jonn was quicker, spinning away from it before she could grab his hair. It just made Larkin angrier. "Don't you fucking dare," she snarled and kicked at hit legs. 'IZZY ' Jonn managed to dodge away from her hand. It was instinctive -- Helena grabbed him by the hair all the time, and he always twitched but then let her do it anyway, didn't fight back. You oughta cut it, Hansel had always commented, but Jonn never did. His business was better when his hair was long. Made him prettier. She lashed out at his legs, though, and made contact. Hansel had taught him about escalation. He said, Don't start fights. Don't make shit worse. If someone starts shit with you, end it, but don't be the one to fuckin' instigate it. He said that Jonn should only meet force with like force -- that was how he put it. So if someone tried to shank Jonn, he could shank them back. If someone tried to punch him, he could punch back. It was always better to avoid a fight, though, Hansel said. The thing he didn't understand was that he could just be all big and glowery at people and it'd keep'em from fucking with him, but Jonn was too small for that. Usually when he glared, people just thought it was cute. He really didn't wanna fight Larkin, though. He didn't want to meet force with like force. So he took the hit, because he was really good at taking hits, and he stumbled a little and then fucking bolted back towards the warehouse, and Asya. He didn't know what he was gonna do when he got there, or what he was gonna do after -- tell Finch? tell Goro? tell Hansel? they'd all pick Larkin over him -- he just knew that fighting back wasn't going to make anything better. It never did. 'JEN ' "Jonn!" Larkin yelled after him, venting a bit of her frustration. "Fucking- you're out, you hear me? You run away now and you're fucking out!" There was nothing else she could do. She'd fucked up. Renar would shake his head at her, be fucking disappointed in how that'd gone, then send someone to fix it. He'd... Yeah. On that thought, Larkin was out of the alleyway and had her crossbow level with Jonn's back. Renar would fix it. And if diplomacy hadn't worked, and threats hadn't worked, then sometimes you just had to go all the way to come out on top of a situation. Sometimes you just had to pull the fucking trigger. 'IZZY ' Jonn kept running. At this point, he figured -- he was either fucking out or he wasn't. Either Finch would be fucking pissed at him for not doing what Larkin said in the first place, or he'd be glad Jonn hadn't gone behind his back to spy on him and shit. He skittered around the corner, spotting Asya still in the warehouse, sitting cross-legged on the floor and playing five-finger fillet to entertain the street kids, who stared at her rapidly jabbing a knife between her spread fingers with wide-eyed amazement. He bee-lined for her, sending the kids scattering, and she left her knife lodged in the floorboards as she looked up in alarm and caught him as he dove in next to her. She wore heavy armor -- he'd be safer behind her. 'JEN ' She'd have to take it up with Finch. And Goro and, hell, probably Hansel. Killing Jonn would bring a metric fuckton of problems down on her but not killing him- a fucking death sentence to the Redbirds. If they couldn't even hold their only lieutenant in line, who'd ever pay them any respects, let alone money. Finch would see that. He'd be so pissed, though. She could explain that there was no way she could've let Jonn get away with that. No way she could do that and still be on top of things, anyway. She wondered, briefly, if he'd be sad. No, probably not. Finch had fucked Jonn, not loved him. Probably. Hopefully. She wondered, not so briefly, if he'd feel betrayed. This was certainly something he should have a word in. Something that would mean much, much more pressure on him and- ah, fuck. Larkin grit her teeth. Her hand clenched around the shaft but her finger was off the trigger and her aim on the ground. She couldn't do it. Couldn't do that to Finch. All she could do was spit out a curse and kick the ground. 'IZZY ' Jonn signed furiously to Asya. His hands shook in a visual stammer, then he gave up once she nodded that she had enough of it figured out. I'll get you out of here, she said. Out of Skyport. We can go to your dad. He shook his head and buried his face against her. She just ... sighed, like she did when he was doing something stupid, but she was gonna hang around for it anyway, and petted his hair. If he had to leave the city -- it wasn't like he could go to the Runners' castle. Hansel was there, but Hansel liked Larkin, and Goro had said he could stay for a few days, but that wasn't long enough, and he'd side with Larkin too. Luci was there, now, too, and Roddy, but so was Mishka. There wasn't anywhere he could go. There wasn't anywhere people actually wanted him. When Hansel had been ... really bad, after he'd come in from the sea, he talked sometimes about walking back out into it until his head was under the waves and he couldn't breath, until the depths crushed him. Maybe Jonn could just go there. 'JEN ' Larkin walked up to the warehouse at a brisk but measured pace. If Jonn was still there, good; she'd try to talk to him some more. If not, she'd find a kid that was sharp and not-annoying enough to replace him as a food-fetcher for Finch. She entered the building and it didn't take her long to spot Jonn burying his face in Asya's chest. God. Like a fucking toddler. 'IZZY ' Jonn heard the footfalls and hunched his shoulders, pressing into Asya tighter. Asya looked up at Larkin, the half of her face that was visible completely still. 'JEN ' "Jonn," Larkin said. Tried to keep the anger out of her voice and came across icy cold. "Do you have any idea what you're forcing me into?" 'IZZY ' He didn't respond. Behind his back, Asya forcefully signed, Don't act like this is his fucking fault. 'JEN ' Larkin bared her teeth at Asya. "You keep out of this. You got no fucking clue what's going on anyway. Get lost." 'IZZY ' She curled her lip. Bitch, you think I'm the one who doesn't know what's going on? 'JEN ' Larkin snorted. "Enlighten me then. Please." 'IZZY ' She signed with quick, sharp movements. Finch has been fucking unravelling and taking it out on everyone for weeks. Why do you think your baby birds are so fucking scared? Why do you think Jonn is? And you come in here and just make it worse. 'JEN ' Larkin frowned but shrugged it off. "Finch's been a dick since he was born. That's not fucking news." She was taking care of it anyway. Raef would take over with the baby birds. He'd to a good job. 'IZZY ' Now he's a dick with the power to terrorize people. Asya bared her teeth. You going to be one too? 'JEN ' "I'm not running a fucking orphanage, honey." Larkin looked at her flatly and shook her head. "I intend to be fair, y'know. And what's fair is that actions have consequences." 'IZZY ' Asya scoffed. She patted Jonn's back and moved to stand up, and he slipped around to hide behind her, looking away. So it's fair that Jonn is taken advantage of to play mommy to Finch all this time, then you tell him to spy on the bastard and attack and threaten him when he doesn't want to? 'JEN ' Larkin had to trouble following Asya's quick signing but she got the gist of it. "I ain't taking advantage of Jonn. He's in it by his own will, ain't he? And who's in a gang has gotta do what the boss says, or he's out. Jonn's fucking lucky I didn't shoot him on the spot for that." Larkin made a harsh cutting motion with her hands. "Shit like that won't go. Shit like that goin' unanswered takes gangs down. The hell you think we're doing here?" 'IZZY ' Asya's jaw tightened. Killing the person keeping your fucking gang afloat, apparently. 'JEN ' Larkin rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Sure. I'm glad you're so well informed about everything- hey, how's that anyway, huh Jonn?" 'IZZY ' Jonn hid behind her more, and Asya growled and took a step closer to Larkin. Don't fucking start. Jonn's loyal to your dipshit friend, he just doesn't have to tell me anything. I'm not that fucking blind. 'JEN ' Larkin sneered and stymied a growl of frustration. Mask. Fucking Mask. What did she have to do to get this shit sorted out straight? "So you're saying Jonn hasn't been snitching to you, huh? That what you want me to believe?" She took a step closer. "Tell you what, bitch. Back the fuck off from my gang or I'm gonna end what Renar started." 'IZZY ' Asya stepped up in turn, and Jonn curled his arms around her. "Don't," he pleaded. She snarled silently, and hissed a breath out through her teeth. I'm trying to fucking help you get your house in order, here, Basha. You and Finch can have fun being tyrants of nothing when the other gangs eat you alive. 'JEN ' "Oh. Oh. How fucking generous of You. What the fuck do you think I'm trying to do? You think I'm having a fucking blast here or what? Gods." She shook her head again and pinched the bridge if her nose, too. This was bound to give her a headache. 'IZZY ' I think you're having a great time pushing around the people who're already on your fucking side, Asya signed. Birds of a fucking feather, huh? 'JEN ' "And why the fuck should I care 'bout what you think? " 'IZZY ' Asya scoffed. She spat at Larkin's feet, and she and Jonn vanished silently. 'JEN ' END 'IZZY ' Title: Worse Than Expected. Summary: Larkin tries to enlist Jonn's help in keeping an eye on Finch. It doesn't go well. Category:Text Roleplay